An imagination sparker for the very young.
In Benjamin’s picture book, a boy reveals a secret talent in a guessing game.
Tennyson is a fair-skinned boy with brown eyes, brown hair, “and a button nose. Cute, isn’t he?”Tennyson has a magical power that the narrator encourages readers to guess. First, the narrator suggests Tennyson can pull an elephant from a magician’s hat. That’s not the right answer—but can Tennyson paint beautifully, ride his hobby horse faster than racehorses, or drum louder than a rock star? The narrator suggests that Tennyson could be a soccer wiz, build a skyscraper from blocks, or bounce on a ball to the moon. But none of these is quite right…until the narrator reveals the big secret on the final page. Benjamin uses accessible vocabulary words to encourage emergent readers to follow along. Trimarco’s humorous mixed-media illustrations, each featuring a cartoon Tennyson and a blue-gray cat against a painted background, explain Briticisms in the text (such as saying footballinstead of soccer). In each image, the cat reacts to each question, sometimes quite humorously; Tennyson’s activities are also comical, such as when he plays a drum set with bare feet, using his toes to hold a mallet. Although some readers might argue that Tennyson could not do some of the “impossible” things described, they’ll find the ending squeezes them just right.
An imagination sparker for the very young.Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781735853550
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Notable Kids Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 16, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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